


The Night Guard and the Librarian

by sunlightsmarrow



Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: Flirting, Khadgar is smart, LionTrust, M/M, Modern AU, Smoking, Tickling, anduin is clever, it needed to be written, it's also stupidly cute, librarian!Khagar, night guard!Anduin, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-16 20:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7283752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlightsmarrow/pseuds/sunlightsmarrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khadgar is a librarian at New York's public library and he's bad at his job: he's always early, leaves at least two hours late, spends most of his time at reading and only begrudgingly helping people, and heckles the night guards.  He does the same to Anduin Lothar when he first gets the job, but Anduin likes the heckling despite the enormous amount of sass, and it helps that it comes from the cutest librarian in the city.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to "sunglight is now writing three stories at once lmao." I needed at least to get this first bit down, but yeah, they're gonna go out eventually (I'll get around to writing it) and of course kisses are coming later.
> 
> I at least need to write Khadgar totally not getting that Anduin came to give his hoodie back because he's shit at his job and Khadgar of course has like 10,000 versions of the same hoodie.
> 
> Have fun. Sorry to distract.

“Let’s go, bookworm. I’m closing up for the night.” Khadgar didn’t recognize the voice, nor did he look up from the book he was reading. He had 20 more pages and the spy couple had been flirting with each other the entire time and he wasn’t about to let this slide without finishing the damn thing.

New York City’s public library was a huge sprawling place and one of the biggest libraries in the United States. Khadgar was lucky to work there, but to be honest he wasn’t the best employee. He was always very early and stayed way past closing time, so much so that he had given the last closing guard such an awful time that he quit. Now there was this new guy, and if Khadgar had looked up, he would have noticed that he was almost a typical bouncer type: tall, burly. He had long hair and a beard, so that made him the hipster type, and his eyes were a ridiculous shade of blue, but Khadgar hadn’t noticed.

In response, Khadgar put up a solitary index finger, indicating that he needed a minute to finish his book. He propped his feet up on the circulation desk and flipped the page. He still hadn’t looked up at the night guard.

Grumbling about how he didn’t know there were such a thing as entitled librarians, Anduin Lothar headed off to do a final sweep of the place. It appeared to be deserted, and most of the lights were out anyway. 

Anduin drew a map out of his pocket and took a look at it. There were too many places for people to hide and he’d have to settle on a quick scan.

The guard wasn’t big on architecture, but could appreciate the library for what it was. The huge lions outside were a nice touch and he had been teased since he was a boy that he looked a little like them, and so some creative person decided to give him the nickname “Lion,” but it hadn’t really stuck with him past high school, and that was quite some time ago. 

The windows were rather large on this floor but the shelves were positioned such that their charges wouldn’t be damaged. It was raining outside, and the streetlights cast a ghostly glow around the huge building. It was early enough, so there were many cars still out and about. For a Friday night, people were just starting to go out and getting home might be annoying tonight with the influx of people. If memory served, a big-name band was playing at Madison Square Garden and it always seemed to clog up the subways. 

By the time Anduin reached the second floor, a resounding “Are you fucking kidding me?” and a loud thunk greeted Anduin’s ears. Damn the search. The assholes that decided to stay in the library two hours past close could stay there all night for all he cared. People _that_ committed wouldn’t hurt a thing.

When Anduin came back down to the circulation desk, the young librarian was nowhere to be found. Cursing to himself, Anduin looked around the huge room and heard some shuffling off to the left. The place was mostly dark and the most prominent lights came from the windows near the roof and the lights that hadn’t been replaced since the 40s in the coat room. 

“Bookworm--”

“The name’s Khadgar.” The boy’s clipped reply echoed through the space, and Anduin might have felt a bit intimidated if when he found the kid he was straining to reach the shelf to put his book back.

“Would you like some help, Khadgar?” Not waiting for a reply other than a frustrated grunt, Anduin took the book from the boy’s beefy hand and shelved it himself. He wanted to be proud of himself, but there was already a space where the book was supposed to go.

“Not there. One over. It’s the second in the series.” 

Anduin did as he was instructed. “So what happened?”

“You don’t have characters flirting for two book straight and then say ‘And their lips met.’ It’s lazy. Readers deserve better.”

“So you like romance.” A hint of a smirk tugged at Anduin’s lips. 

“The more genres you love, the more you love to read,” Khadgar pontificated.

“Party line?”

“You bet. No, I’m not big on romance. I graduated in English with a minor in Library Sciences and need to decompress every now and then.”

Anduin hadn’t gone to college. He flirted with the idea of joining the military for a while, but a buddy of his got him in a club for a summer and the bouncer mentality had stuck with him ever since. But preparing for basic training had gotten him pretty buff, and he was vain enough to maintain appearances. Plus, he might have to deal with an entitled librarian or two.

“I suppose that’s fair.” Anduin stepped back and allowed the librarian to pass. They started to walk out of the building together. 

“Well…” They stood outside and Anduin fished around in the pocket of his canvas pea coat pocket for a carton of cigarettes. Pulling one out, he offered one to the younger man.

“That’ll kill you.”

Anduin chuckled and lit up anyway. “Suit yourself.”

“What does your girlfriend think of that?” If the kid was joking, he wasn’t letting on. Anduin was too tired to be angry that everyone automatically assumed everyone was straight and he would otherwise get on a soapbox about it, but tonight the kid was getting wet and perhaps smoking wasn’t the best idea in the rain, but also the kid looked really cute, with his attempt of a beard/mustache thing and dark wavy hair and eyes dark as a night on the Hudson and the size of the city itself. 

“What makes you think I have a girlfriend?” Anduin’s voice was low with smoke and he had to hand it to the kid. He was straightforward. And that was probably the only straight thing about him.

Khadgar shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like you was attached.” The librarian shuffled and started to walk. To be fair, Anduin did like girls a bit, but he definitely had more of a leaning to the rougher sex. Though whomever would consider this kid rough on first glance was an idiot. 

Anduin followed him, glad that his subway station was in the same direction. The rain was easing up some, but nonetheless Anduin pulled his hair down from the bun it was in so that it sat better when he put his hood up. Khadgar had pulled up a dark blue umbrella from his satchel that Anduin had just noticed he had. He’d rolled up his baseball-sleeved hoodie and the guard noticed the odd mark on his right arm. 

Since when were birthmarks cute?

“I’m not...that sort.”

Khadgar nodded. “Good.”

Again, Anduin had to laugh. They were coming up to his station. 

“Shit,” the boy swore. It almost sounded forced. He was a Classics major, and what business did someone that educated have limiting himself to swearing, at least in English? Anduin shrugged to himself. 

“Hm?” 

Khadgar had stopped and was staring at him with wide eyes and hair that was wet and getting in his eyes. Anduin’s primal instinct told him to brush the hair out of the younger man’s eyes, but the fact that he was a self-respecting human with self-control kept his hand at his side. 

“I never asked your name.”

Anduin passed by him and headed down into the subway station. Khadgar followed.

“Anduin Lothar.”

All of a sudden, Khadgar grinned and it was like the rain had stopped. Plucking the cigarette from Anduin’s fingers, he took a pull from it and blew rings into the air. He gave it back to its owner. 

“You know, I don’t remember what ancient language it’s in, but that means ‘lion.’”

 _’Oh, for fuck’s sake.’_

Anduin crushed the cig underneath his shoe and pulled out his riding card. The boys both scanned theirs and headed down to their train. 

“This city is insane,” muttered Khadgar as way more people than necessary got off the train when it pulled in. He and Anduin stepped on and sat down. To his new friend he said, “Funny how these things go.”

“Funny, indeed.”

~~~

Khadgar was the night guy at the public library, and Anduin was the night guard, so every night for the next week or so they had a similar interaction: Khadgar finishing a book (Anduin was honestly shocked at how quickly that boy consumed literature) and Anduin getting upset about something that the kid was doing that was keeping them longer than was necessary. Though if he was honest with himself, Anduin liked getting to spend time with him. Khadgar and the other librarians were supposed to turn out the lights and had time to put back the books from the day, and Khadgar was always the last one out and he always was the one to wait for Anduin to come and lock up.

“To someone who didn’t know better,” said Anduin one night, “people might think you’re trying to spend time with me.”

“To someone who didn’t know better,” responded Khadgar one evening when he was being especially petulant and even read the last fifty pages to Anduin as he sat at the circulation desk twirling his Maglight and played the light all over the walls in random patterns.

At this point, Khadgar had taught Anduin where all of the genres were and how to shelve, and so he handed the book to the taller man and got up to lock the circ desk and finish counting the money that they had collected from Friends of the Library donations and late fees. 

As Khadgar zipped up his hoodie and pocketed his phone and wallet, Anduin returned. 

“I liked that one.” The guard hadn’t been much of a reader when he was younger, but the grand finales and plot summaries that Khadgar was giving him was turning him into a book-lover. He’d even picked up the Harry Potter series off of Amazon (after the most brutal of tongue-lashings from Khadgar for not even having seen the movies. Anduin, if he remembered correctly, had been ironically told that he was ‘un-American’ and ‘didn’t have a childhood.’). He had busted his way through one and two on his own time, but the nights were for Khadgar. He was a great reader, inflecting his voice and changing it ever so slightly for when characters were speaking. It was sometimes like he wasn’t even reading; he was telling the story from memory, that was how interesting he made it.

“I’m figuring out your genre, slowly but surely. Maybe I’ll start reading A Song of Ice and Fire to you. We have a billion copies, and I even have them at home.”

“That’s that HBO show, right?”

“Mm.” Khadgar hip-checked the gate open and stepped out into the common area. They walked together toward the entrance and Khadgar, as was his habit, rolled up his sleeves, exposing his birthmark.

Without really giving it thought, Anduin grabbed Khadgar’s arm and gave the mark a good look. The younger man gave a surprised cry and briefly tried to pull away, but Anduin’s hand was firm and the look he gave the shorter man stilled him. Their eyes lingered a little longer than was necessary, but Anduin was stroking his fingers over the intricate mark and Khadgar hissed at the sensation.

“Sensitive, eh?” Anduin was still holding Khadgar’s left arm, but he had lowered it and stepped a little closer. 

Khadgar wasn’t stupid, obviously, and he appreciated how smooth Anduin was. With a close-lipped smile, Khadgar looked up at the taller man and snorted. 

“I’m actually not ticklish at all.”

“Good. Neither am I.” 

Anduin got the worst grin on his face and his hands flew up and tickled under Khadgar’s armpits. With surprising agility, the librarian turned around with a yelp and leaned forward so that he was curled into Anduin. Their heights were similar enough that the taller man was caught off balance and rolled off Khadgar’s back. He stumbled on the marble and it was enough for Khadgar to go for the knees and bring him down. 

Anduin had left his hair down that day and it splayed all over the marble floor and his piercing blue eyes met Khadgar’s as the shorter, stockier man straddled his waist. They were both panting and staring at each other. 

Khadgar wasn’t sure how it happened, but Anduin leaned up ever so slowly, as if to go in for a kiss. Hooking his ratty sneakers around Anduin’s thighs, Khadgar mirrored his movement, eyes closing and ink-stained hands snaking up Anduin’s arms, which had slithered up his waist, tugging on his hoodie and the ghost of a hem of his shirt to finally resting on his shoulders. 

They were inches apart when Anduin had the advantage, cupping his hands around Khadgar’s neck and the back of his head. He was stronger, and with speed that Khadgar didn’t anticipate, Anduin flipped him over and his back slammed against the hard marble tiles. The librarian grunted in surprise and pain and retaliated with a knee to Anduin’s gut.

The guard laughed and stood. He reached down to help the librarian up, but the stream of epithets had him second-guessing. He walked away. 

“Hurry up, bookworm, or I’ll lock you in here.”

“Go ahead. I could stay all night in here.” Khadgar was starting to get himself upright and plannig a counterattack. 

“Suit yourself.” Anduin did it. The glass door that separated the bustle of New York to the serenity of its grandest library closed with a resounding bang. Anduin locked the door and Khadgar was there within a few seconds.

“I was kidding,” he said nonchalantly. “I need to feed the cat.” 

“Should have thought of that before you ran your smart mouth.”

Khadgar’s eyes shone with untold thoughts that were definitely not G-rated at that comment. Realizing that Anduin was seriously not about to unlock the door, his eyes turned pleading. “Seriously, Anduin. Let me out.”

“Do you want to go out sometime?”

“I want to get out, yes.”

“No, you idiot.” He waited until Khadgar re-processed what Anduin said and realization struck his features harder than his back had hit the marble a few minutes ago.

“You’re being coercive,” Khadgar accused.

“You’re being obtuse.”

“You can thank me for expanding your vocabulary.”

“If you go out with me, I’ll thank you for all manner of things. And you can read to me whenever you want. And I’ll stop giving you shit.”

“No you won’t.”

“You’re right. I won’t.” They were grinning at each other through the glass.

“After work on Saturday?” Khadgar’s tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip.

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“No shit.” The library closed at five on Saturday, and Anduin showed up two hours after close. 

A rustle of keys and a click of a lock, and Khadgar was freed. They entered the night together and headed to their subway station. Khadgar didn’t let his face betray his glee until he got off the red line three stops before Anduin, and the night guard didn’t realize until someone say down next to him that Khadgar had left his hoodie on the hot subway car. 

Anduin would have to head into the library early tomorrow to give it back, because knowing that idiot bookworm, he’d catch a cold between now and then.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anduin returns the hoodie and the boys have a night out on the town with unintended consequences.

Khadgar was up just as the sun kissed the streets and buildings glittered with reflecting rays. The pigeons cooed outside his window. He threw off the wool quilt that his mother had made him ages ago. The thing was super heavy, but it got the job done on cool, rainy nights. 

He stretched, arching his back and scratching his belly before pulling the same pair of pants he wore the day before over his boxers. He climbed out the window, shoes and socks in hand and sat down on the fire escape. The scene around him was a bit blurry. The pigeons were in focus, but the sharp lines of the buildings weren’t, so much. He’d have to get his eyes checked at some point. Maybe during his lunch break he’d make an appointment... 

Khadgar had a bag of birdseed in his bedroom and he brought it out with him. The pigeons grouped around him, waiting for their breakfast, and Khadgar’s cat, Garona, was quick to sit behind the window and cackle at the birds as Khadgar fed them.

He sat there feeding them for a while and watching the sun get higher and higher in the sky. Some of the New York Times delivery people were out putting today’s issue in the boxes. Khadgar wasn’t one for buying newspapers since he worked in a library and they got so many issues from all over the world every day, but he enjoyed watching them work every morning. 

The sun was just about at the right position in the sky and Khadgar new that the library would be opening in roughly an hour and a half. Throwing the rest of the birdseed he had in his hand out for the pigeons, he cracked his window open, pushed Garona out of the way, and fended off some greedy birds before slamming the window shut. The first time he had attempted it, a pigeon had flown into his bedroom and nearly trashed the place before Khadgar had scrounged up a tennis racquet and sent it out into the city with a nice topspin forehand. Garona hadn’t appreciated the gesture and shunned him for three days.

Khadgar scratched the large black cat behind the ears and wandered into the kitchen. He pulled out her milk bowl and put in about a quarter inch. She hopped up on the table and began to lap it up, purring when Khadgar stroked her back. 

Within fifteen minutes, Khadgar had pulled on a shirt, scrounged up a hoodie, and had made a cup of coffee and toasted a bagel.

Shoving a few books into his satchel and pouring his coffee into a thermos (including some extra water to have it filled all the way, mind over matter, and all), he flicked his keys around his finger, gave Garona a kiss, and wedged the door to his apartment into place.

 

It was seven by the time Khadgar got into the main library building. The library opened the service entrance around then so that the summer workers could sort mail and check in papers and anything else that needed to be done. 

Khadgar’s thermos was half-empty by the time he stumbled off the subway and up into the library. Most of the workers were bleary-eyed, regretting their decision to come in so early in the summer. Khadgar remembered what it was like to be them, when he worked here as a teenager. It was here that he actually developed a love of reading and library sciences as he watched the inner workings of the library, from the sorting to the preserving to the archiving. All of it was well and good, and he did enjoy helping people find what they were looking for, whether it be genealogical records or just simply the latest mystery. The young man prided himself in giving the best recommendations.

But finally Khadgar settled down at the circulation desk. The morning light hitting the marble floors looked so much different from the night before when it had been so dark. And Khadgar had met Anduin over a week ago. Anduin, the taller guy who was bulky and moved like a panther. The one who had this amazing hair that was like a medieval warrior and a lion’s mane at the same time. One hundred percent certified hipster, and Khadgar had to admit that seeing him every night was getting more and more enjoyable. 

As the librarian reached into his satchel and pulled out his latest adventure, he smiled at the first George R. R. Martin book that lay placidly in the bottom of his bag. Its cover was bent and the pages were stained from the oil on Khadgar’s hand and the one time that Garona had knocked over a coffee mug (Khadgar cursed her out for it and since then always put a lid on any beverage while he was reading).

He’d cut through two chapters before it was time for the place to open. Of course there were a few people who stood in line and waited for the library to open, but most people wouldn’t show up for another fifteen minutes to half hour. There were tours every now and again, and Khadgar enjoyed making faces at the kids who walked by, which usually made them laugh, and he would get glared at by their parents. Sometimes, he even snuck them sweets if there were only one or two in the group.

That’s exactly what Khadgar did for the first half of his shift. The lady who was supposed to work in the morning had called off sick and so that was why Khadgar was here all day, but it didn’t phase him. Lunch time rolled around and Khadgar’s stomach rumbled. It drew him out of the adventure that was going on in his brain as he read the latest young adult hero story (it was way out of his reading level, but he had to stay current on these things).

Popping his head up out of his book, Khadgar put out the tiny bell (that little kids rang with abandon) that would let him know when someone needed him. He stretched and rubbed his eyes. The exit sign was blurry. He definitely needed to make that eye appointment.

~~~

After lunch, Khadgar came back to the library and clocked in. Crossing the huge room to the circulation desk, Khadgar sped up when he saw a familiar face talking animatedly to Medivh, the reference librarian that Khadgar had asked to take his spot. 

Anduin threw his head back and laughed, a mighty sound like a roar, but throaty and wholesome. Khadgar hadn’t actually heard it before and something twitched inside him, like a hint of realization that _something_ was up, but he didn't have time to really contemplate what.

Anduin had something bunched in his hand and as Khadgar came closer, he saw the worn blue sleeves against a gray body. It was his hoodie, but he hadn’t remembered leaving it with Anduin...and the one he was wearing now was quite similar, with a lighter gray body and green sleeves.

“Khadgar!” Anduin’s eyes were bright as he looked from Medivh to his young friend. “I had no idea that you worked with Medivh. He and I, and another one of my friends, Llane, all went to high school together.”

“And the trouble we caused,” laughed Medivh. The reference librarian was shorter than Khadgar, with blonde hair and gorgeous eyes, but Khadgar had seen him rage against an unsuspecting high school student to the point of tears before. And amazingly, something happened that kept the girl from saying a word to anyone about it, but the redness and puffiness in her eyes had let Khadgar know anyway.

He was a force to be reckoned with, but otherwise, Medivh seemed like a good enough guy.

“Drinks tonight? I heard Llane was bartending downtown.” Medivh cast a winning smile Anduin’s way, and a different feeling pulled at Khadgar’s chest. He knew this one.

“I get off work at seven,” replied Khadgar. “I wouldn’t mind.” He knew that perhaps Anduin had planned something different for their outing, but he wanted more information on Anduin's late friends before he had a proper...whatever Anduin wanted to call it. Anduin agreed that it would be nice to do that and to catch up with old friends. 

Eventually, Medivh left, but not before a salacious wink in Anduin’s direction that made the night guard blush and ungodly shade of pink, something Khadgar didn’t fail to notice. Khadgar watched Medivh retreat into the back rooms before swinging around to face Anduin.

“You’re early,” teased the younger man. “I didn’t know you woke up this early.” Khadgar pulled out his book and flipped it to the page he was busy on before. The cover was decidedly not bent, but the pages that he had turned were already slightly worn.

“What is the flavor of the day?” Anduin leaned on the desk and set the hoodie down in front of Khadgar. Without looking up, the librarian grabbed it, thanked Anduin, and tossed it onto his satchel.

"A young adult thing that has issues with pacing. But then again, which one doesn't..." Khadgar flipped the page and looked up at Anduin. He’d partially tied his hair back today, opting for a smooth comb over the top of his head and tying the parts that would have fallen in front of his ears to the back of his head. 

“So we’re going for drinks.” Anduin nearly sounded disappointed.

“What, did you have a romantic night on the town planned?” Khadgar’s huge grin made Anduin’s breath hitch, but he played it off as a sigh. It wasn’t quite that Anduin had in fact planned something romantic, because shitty Italian and heckling in the lines on Broadway wasn’t precisely romantic, but it was better than Khadgar sitting there quietly for most of the night as Anduin, Llane, and Medivh reminisced about the old days when the three of them were collectively a bag of dicks.

“No. I just didn’t expect you to want to--”

“It’s fine. Really. I want to.” Khadgar had the grace to offer a small smile, and Anduin didn’t exactly feel comforted with the notion that Khadgar may very well be getting drunk with him for the first time with two others who Anduin hadn’t minded falling out of contact with. It wasn't that Llane and Medivh were bad people. They made poor decisions, but...they had been close in high school. So close that their methods of inclusion had been less than satisfactory.

Anduin sighed a small sigh that could have been construed as nervous. "If that's what you want."

~~~

The Saturday crowd had thinned out about an hour and a half before the five o’clock closing time. Anduin hadn't left, so far as Khadgar knew. He had wandered off somewhere to peruse the shelves, and the librarian didn't blame him. He himself could spend hours just looking and reading about what there was to know and wishing he had the time to absorb it all.

Finally, five o'clock rolled around. Khadgar made the announcement over the loudspeaker that it was closing time and that everyone should proceed to the circ desk for checking books out. He sat around, staring at the windows as the late afternoon sun filtered through. It was just starting to get yellow and cast a warm glow all around the room.

Anduin came down after everyone had filed out, hair now pulled up more into a bun. His eyes looked tired, but he was smiling at Khadgar as he walked up to the circulation desk.

“So you’re closing now, and I actually just finished searching around for stragglers. I was wondering if you wanted to…” Anduin inclined his head to the door where someone was just leaving. 

Khadgar looked at him with surprise. “I mean...perhaps later if you want to start Game of Thrones, that’s okay.” Khadgar got up and pulled out the money to count by the end of the day. “I...if we’re going anywhere, I ought to put my hoodie back in my apartment because it doesn’t fit in my bag, if that’s okay?” Khadgar swallowed nervously. His apartment wasn't in the best part of town and he really was directionally uncertain, and so he'd rather not have to figure out directions on his own without Anduin, which meant that Anduin would absolutely have to see his apartment. Which, if the near-misses with full-blown intimacy were any indication, Khadgar might be one of the tens of people who died from cardiac arrest in a subway car.

Focusing on the task at hand and not the thundering in his heart, Khadgar's shaky hands sorted through the money, righting bills so that they were all going to same way. They hadn’t picked up that much money today, which was odd for a Saturday. The drawer clicked shut and Khadgar locked it up.

“I wouldn’t mind meeting your cat.” Anduin leaned on the desk, which seemed to be a favorite hobby of his. The librarian blinked, realizing that he hadn't actually invited Anduin over but now there was no getting out of it if he wanted to be remotely polite. He should have phrased himself better. Khadgar deftly jumped up onto the desk, swung his legs over, and hardly broke stride as his worn sneakers hit the marble with a soft pat, satchel in hand. He was surprised by the grace of it, but the nervous energy had to go somewhere and he had wanted to do that for ages and never trusted himself to do it. If now was his moment of self-doubt, he might as well go all-out and threaten to make an idiot of himself in the process.

“Then let’s go," he said with much more confidence than he felt. "I will let you know, Garona thinks she is a fierce warrior.”

Anduin chuckled and slung his arm around Khadgar’s shoulders. The shorter man stiffened momentarily, but then relaxed, leaning into the taller, bulkier man. He was tired from a long day’s work and momentarily closed his eyes, simply breathing in the smell of Anduin, and already it was calming his nerves. Perhaps he didn't have so much to worry about after all. If Anduin wasn't worried, he shouldn't be, either.

~~~

Three subway stops and another two blocks of walking later, they reached Khadgar’s apartment. The building was huge, and Khadgar swiped his card to get into the building. The entire thing was made in the seventies, and so the doors were glass lined with painted brown frames. He led the way down a fluorescent lit hallway that had ugly green linoleum floors and pastel yellow floors. The stainless steel elevator doors shuttered open when Khadgar pressed the button.

“It’s not super nice. I’m sorry.” Khadgar met Anduin’s eyes with trepidation. A surge of anger hit Anduin harder than he expected that sort of comment would. Khadgar didn’t think he was good enough, and that wasn’t acceptable.

“New York is hard. I didn’t expect a penthouse.”

Khadgar blushed and muttered something. The elevator door opened and he stepped in. It smelled of weed and armpits and the button, number seven, was sticky and worn off. Khadgar stood awkwardly next to Anduin, hands in his pockets and shoulders slumped. He never should have invited him over, even if it was to meet his cat. He didn’t make a lot at the library, and often helped out the other tenants in order to get a little more cash or food in exchange.

The ding in the elevator started at one pitch and fell flat by at least a half step by the time the doors had clattered open. Khadgar stepped out and led the way down the stained carpet to number fifteen.

To Khadgar’s credit, his apartment was in glorious condition. He kept the floors as clean as they could be, he kept his books in neat stacks or on the four large bookshelves that he owned (they were all gifts, actually. He hadn’t the money to buy books and he often just borrowed from the library). He made his bed in the morning because his mother told him to when he was younger and it was required in the seminary.

 _Right._ Khadgar looked up at the crucifix that hung behind the kitchen table. His parents had wanted him to be a priest. He had gone all through the Catholic school system and had done rather well in his theology classes, and he wasn't big into girls. Khadgar actually liked being in the seminary, but realized that he liked reading the books that were assigned (lots of Tolkien and Lewis) rather than learning homlietics, and so he left the seminary and studied English. He'd retained the Catholic faith, though, and was a regular worshiper.

Garona came around the corner to greet her master and stopped dead when she saw Anduin. She eyed him with suspicious green eyes and casually sniffed the floor to pretend she wasn’t threatened by his very presence in the room.

Khadgar came over to her and scooped her up. She cuddled into his neck and stared at Anduin. The taller man reached forward to pet her head, and then he leaned in as she started to purr. Garona still had her cuddled into his neck when Anduin’s face came very close to his skin, beard gently brushing at the back of his neck as he planted a kiss on the top of the cat’s head.

“She likes you,” Khadgar said, plopping her down on the floor. Kicking off his shoes, Khadgar padded over to the kitchen. He pulled out a small bowl and reached into a cabinet to get a small tin of wet cat food. 

“I spoil her and give her some of this every day. If I don’t, she will sit there and complain at me until I do, but I thought I’d give it to her early because…” He reddened and trailed off, scraping the tin of the rest of its contents. He put the bowl out on the kitchen table and Garona jumped up and began devouring her snack.

Anduin watched all of this with a bemused expression as he looked around. Khadgar’s decorations were predictable to his personality: an amalgamation of obscure references and terrible puns, as well as places he had been. The only thing that really surprised Anduin was the small crucifix that was on the wall above the kitchen table. It was simple and not the ridiculously gory type that adorned some churches and old lady’s homes, but it was there nonetheless.

Anduin didn’t say anything about it, but filed it away for later. He continued to look around the room, glad to pick through Khadgar’s DVD collection whilst the young librarian put his hoodie in the hamper in the bathroom.

“I want to show you something.” Khadgar’s eyes were earnest as he looked up into the blue-eyed gaze of his friend. He offered a warm smile. “It’s the best view New York has to offer. Just look for a minute. Then we can do whatever you were thinking.”

It was around seven at this point, from the rush hour mass of people filling the train cars, to the walk, to the whole rigmarole of coming up and feeding the cat. The sun was somewhat low in the sky, enough that a hint of pink was shining through the clouds. It wasn’t as pretty as it had been this morning, but Khadgar was still proud of it.

He opened the window and pushed the screen up and climbed out onto the fire escape. He turned around and gave a welcoming look to Anduin, but the taller man was not in favor of the idea of open floors and heights. He stared at the librarian with hesitation, not sure that the escape could actually hold both of their weight.

“Where’s your sense of adventure,” asked the boy. He had a mischievous grin on his face that Anduin wouldn’t have liked if it didn’t look so perfect: the shimmering brown eyes and the hair bronze in the fiery light. Even the brown bricks behind him and the rusting black of the fire escape were pretty. It was as if on that fire escape Khadgar was the king of a distant kingdom, the light shimmering off the placid waters and the sky blazing pink in his honor. 

Khadgar extended his hand, which was pale in the waning sunlight. Anduin took it, grasping tightly as he pushed himself over the ledge and stepped awkwardly next to the young man.

“I left it where I could see the view just fine.” The night guard settled down next to the librarian. Their shoulders just touched and the energy that passed between that contact had Khadgar shivering.

“It’s the entire reason I got this place,” commented Khadgar. “I know it’s not the nicest, but this view…” He let out a low whistle and eased a little closer, despite what the contact was doing to him. He could smell Anduin: the clean smell of his soap, the warm earthiness of his hair, and the lavender detergent that he used on his clothes. He began to talk animatedly on what buildings were what, and soon the sun had disappeared behind one of the larger buildings and sent the pair into the shadows.

Anduin look over and realized how close they were. He could see the freckles on Khadgar’s cheeks and found himself leaning in to get a better look. He’d kiss each one, if he had the chance and if the poor boy wasn’t shaking already from the nearness and the odd intimacy of him opening his home to someone who was a stranger only a week or so ago.

They were inches apart, nearly close enough to breathe each other’s air. Neither knew when they had actually gotten this close (perhaps it was a loud kickback from a car in the alley when Khadgar jumped nearly into Anduin’s chest). But Khadgar didn’t know what he wanted, and so he stood up, staggering on the rickety fire escape, and braced himself on the railing, It gave a little and Anduin was forced to reach out and grab his ankle, steadying him.

“We should go,” said Khadgar quietly, evenly. He passed Anduin without a second look to the view he had been so proud of and jumped back into his bedroom. Anduin followed, stumbling in after him. 

Khadgar was quick to weave back through the apartment. He fished his wallet, keys, and phone out of his satchel and waited for Anduin to catch up. 

“Close the door on your way out,” said the renter, eyeing the tall, long-haired man. 

Anduin did as he was told, making eye contact with the crucifix as the door swung shut.

~~~

Eight drinks in an hour and a half in, Khadgar checked his phone for the time. 10:57. It definitely wasn’t late, per-se, but he had to get back to clean kitty litter and try to get some sleep before Mass tomorrow. He knocked back the last of his rum and coke (he was a man of very simple tastes), the coconut rum hardly burning at all as it slid down his throat. It was a sickeningly sweet mixture, and Anduin had teased him about it at the beginning of the night. He forced him through a Bloody Mary, a Hurricane, and an Orgasm (much to the snickering delight of Medivh and Llane). Khadgar had complained enough, pulling out a quote about how a habitual life was good for your health (he was tipsy and entirely didn’t care that he was slowly taxing his liver in the process). 

Khadgar was having a genuinely good time. He listened politely to Llane the Handsome Bartender talk about how he was such a changed man since his girlfriend and Anduin’s sister Taria was hit by a drunk driver five years ago. Khadgar shot a surprised and sympathetic look Anduin’s way, but the taller man didn’t meet his eyes. Medivh was putting back beers like a fiend and telling stories of how drunk he used to get Anduin behind the bleachers after school.

Khadgar was about to delve into his life story, when he thought better of it. 

“I’m tired,” he lied, pulling out two twenties and laying them on the table. He slid off the bar stool and stumbled toward the door. Anduin’s hand was on him, warm and huge and heavy. It bore into him, fingers tight on his flesh and digging into his shoulder. He had to use more force than he wanted to turn him around. Khadgar’s head lolled lazily and his eyes took a moment to focus on the taller man. He saw double, and then there was only one set of truly gorgeous blue eyes. Khadgar really liked Anduin’s eyes. They were the color of his bedroom at his mom and dad’s house and the trim on his quilt when he was a kid. The planes of his face were softened in the dark light and his voice was low and nearly sultry. He was asking Khadgar a question or two, but the younger man swayed a little on his feet.

“I’m taking you home.” Anduin wrapped his arm around Khadgar and it was _nice_ to be there, to be wrapped up with this warm body on a clear night. There was some whooping from Llane and Medivh, and Anduin flipped them the bird, letting Khadgar snuggle in a little closer and mutter something that only the drunk boy understood.

“I’m fine, Anduin. Really. Go back with Llanivh and Mane.” Khadgar held Anduin at arm’s length outside and looked him as square in the eye as he could. “I gotta go to Mass tomorrow and I need to get rid of the headache and I don’t need _your_ help with it. Please,” Khadgar leaned up as if he were about to whisper something in Anduin’s ear, but he missed and his lips grazed Anduin’s cheek where the skin met the hair of his beard. 

“I’ll pray for you,” said Khadgar, waving Anduin off. The taller man wasn’t satisfied with that idea, but he did as he was told. He’d give Khadgar a head start and then follow behind. He’d take the most obvious route home, and then Anduin would be able to see that he got back okay. 

Khadgar was an adult, shrugged Anduin’s tipsy brain. He’d be able to handle himself.

 

Khadgar realized that he was screwed three blocks from Llane’s bar. He could hear footsteps behind him, but he couldn’t focus well enough to get an idea of who was following him and what that person or people (because there were at least two, but maybe he was seeing double) had planned for him. He wasn’t a paranoid drunk. It was just that the way back to his apartment wasn’t the safest and perhaps he should have accepted Anduin’s help.

Khadgar stopped at an intersection. There was a solitary light for the street and an alley behind it next to a closed mom and pop convenience store.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” said a low voice into Khadgar’s ear. Everything in the back of his mind prickled to attention, some of the effects of the alcohol clearing from his brain at the hint of danger. He closed his eyes, willing this to be a dream or perhaps Medivh or Llane or Anduin playing a trick on him, but as soon as he closed his eyes, a hand went over his mouth and he felt himself being pulled backward, twisted and shoved and all of a sudden his back hit something very hard.

Something cool and sharp was pressed against his neck, and Khadgar’s breath hitched. If only he could see, he’d be able to gauge if he could perhaps deliver a swift kick in a well-placed location and get away, but the sound of a cocking gun stilled his wiggling.

“So what should we do with you, hm? All alone in a place like this, it’s a wonder no one picked you up sooner.” The knife pressed to Khadgar’s throat dug in some and he hissed as a drop of blood trickled down his neck. Something warm and wet--the muggers _tongue_ licked up his neck to catch the blood and Khadgar quaked in fear. The mugger took it as a sign of pleasure and laughed. 

“If you make that sound when I only do that, I can’t imagine what--” There was a soft gasp, and all of a sudden all of the pressure was gone from Khadgar’s throat. Medivh stood in front of the young librarian, eyes searching his face for signs of injury. It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere. Someone else was growling something that sounded vicious. 

“You’re alright, buddy. Those goons ran like little pansies. It’s okay. Here. Anduin, Christ, he’s crying.” Medivh disappeared and all of a sudden Anduin was looming over Khadgar, hands gentle on his shoulders and eyes sincere, searching Khadgar’s face. A warm, calloused hand wiped away the tears that Khadgar didn’t know he had been shedding, and soon Anduin was pulling him in for a warm, tight hug.

“Thanks, Medivh,” came the rumble from Anduin’s chest. “I’ll make sure he gets back safe.” Anduin rested his chin against the top of Khadgar’s head and Khadgar clung to him, fingers fisting his shirt and face rubbing into his chest. The shorter man listened to Anduin’s heartbeat as they stood together. 

“‘M sorry. Should have let you walk me back.” Khadgar’s voice cracked and he felt the fear bubble up inside of him, as if it were some latent after-effect. He had been stupid, wandering around that part of the city by himself, because he knew better. He’d risked his life and his friends’ lives, all because he was stupid and got drunk.

In fact, Khadgar nearly got into a soliloquy over his idiocy and how he should have known better, but Anduin shh’ed him. 

“Come on, my little bookworm.” Anduin pushed him out to arm’s length and gave him a look that Khadgar couldn’t define. “Let’s get you home.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Khadgar wakes up from the night before in a bit of a panic, he finally makes his eye appointment, and Anduin gets angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started the next chapter (4th of July version) but it's very doubtful that I'll actually be posting by tomorrow. It'll come, though. Thanks so much for all of the support I've had so far! This is probably one of the most supportive fandoms I've been in so far, but I have 2 tiny stormpilot fics that are really nagging at me and I think I may have to hash those out before I post the next chapter.

Khadgar slept through Mass, but when he did wake up, someone was rooting around in his kitchen. Pulse racing and body jerking alert, he lay there for a while, contemplating how the general soreness in his body would fare against taking out a burglar. 

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and realized that he had been stripped down to his underwear. On top it, something was pulling on his neck, and Khadgar lifted his hand up and found that there was a piece of gauze and some tape. So while he’d have to address this intruder in his underwear, he’d also have to do it wounded. Great. With all of the experience he had incapacitating people.

“Khadgar?” Anduin’s voice rang through the apartment. All of a sudden, Khadgar’s memories of the evening flooded back. His stomach turned, and he cursed himself for ihis inability to be quiet. But at least he wasn’t being robbed of his worldly possessions.

He got up and didn’t bother throwing any more clothes on. Undoubtedly, Anduin had seen him like this anyway. He just hoped that he hadn’t done anything stupid... 

He came out into the kitchen where Anduin had found some eggs and had made some toast. He was wearing the same thing he had been wearing the night before: a sky blue shirt that matched his eyes, and dark jeans. The first few buttons were open on his shirt, revealing lightly tanned, smooth skin. Khadgar didn’t realize he was staring until Anduin came over, finger and thumb raising Khadgar’s chin to get a look at his neck. Khadgar didn’t dare look into Anduin’s eyes for fear of the knowledge of the evening that he would have had, and so he stared into the fluorescent lights that cast a vomit-colored glare through the kitchen. 

“May I?” Anduin demanded Khadgar’s eyes, a tenderness there that seemed to have appeared overnight. Those long fingers were splayed across Khadgar’s neck, warm and a little slick from oil that had to have splashed up when he was cooking. Khadgar nodded nearly imperceptibly. Anduin reached forward slowly, fingers scraping against Khadgar’s skin as he peeled the tape away.

Anduin got a good look at the cut. It hadn’t been deep, but the incision was roughly an inch long. It had bled a lot, and Anduin nearly took the young man to the ER for it, but he thought he’d rather not. Khadgar would have had to explain how all of this had come to be, and Anduin wasn’t prepared for a night out quite like that. So he had taken the kid home and helped him to the bathroom, given him some water, and pumped him full of ibuprofen. Khadgar had stripped down by himself, almost all the way down to his birthday suit before Anduin stopped him, hand falling on his waist to keep the elastic in place. The damned look on the librarian’s face made Anduin want to kiss him right then and there, because he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t scared right out of his wits with the way that that _shitstain_ was palming his librarian through his pants. But that wouldn’t have been right. Either way, Khadgar had asked that Anduin sleep with him, at least until he fell asleep, and the older man had done just that, laying there until Khadgar’s breathing had evened out.

He’d kissed him on the forehead and then passed out on the couch in the living room. Lord knew he wasn’t going to be a party to a Catholic’s exestential crisis.

The cut had healed over rather well and Anduin simply found a small round bandage to cover the scab. Anduin’s hand slid down the shorter man’s neck to his shoulder. 

“I’m not sure you’re going to be received well at Mass in those clothes.” Anduin’s playful eyes searched Khadgar’s face. The barely clothed man broke into a smile and let Anduin ruffle his hair.

“I slept through it. My soul’s condemned, anyway.” He got up onto his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Anduin’s cheek. The taller man stiffened, his eyes going wide and cheeks reddening. 

“For last night. Thank you.” Khadgar stared at Anduin. The shirt really did look good on him. It was just tight enough to pull a bit at his sternum. Khadgar bit his lip in concentration, trying to take in every detail, but it was broken by Anduin snorting and brushing past him. He pulled the eggs off of the burners and devided them into two plates. Khadgar didn’t recognize the toast. Anduin must have gotten up to get some. Which meant he went through Khadgar’s wallet to get the key. The invasion of privacy wasn’t exactly something that Khadgar appreciated, but he was set on making the coffee and it wasn’t like he didn’t trust Anduin, at his point, with his life, much less his dignity.

“If you wanted to start Game of Thrones, I wouldn’t mind.” It was the best response that Anduin could come up with. The feel of Khadgar’s soft plush lips on his cheek was nagging at him, and he needed something to distract him. Khadgar reading to him in that amazing voice made for storytelling was probably not the best idea, but it wasn’t his _mouth on Anduin’s skin_

Khadgar poured the water into the coffee maker and pulled out some large mugs. With a nod, he padded back to his room. He scrounged around for a shirt an a pair of pants and came back out, book in hand. Easing into one of the wooden chairs that sat in the kitchen, he flipped open the front cover and paged through the dedication and copyright. 

As soon as Khadgar sat down, Garona hopped into his lap and sniffed his two-day-old shirt. Deciding that it was, in fact, her human, she curled into his lap. With a ‘by your leave’ from Anduin, he began with a voice that sounded anxious yet firm, appropriate for the opening lines. 

_”’We should start back,’ Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them. ‘The wildlings are dead…’”_

~~~

The weekends became much of the same. Medivh had decided to tease Khadgar more at work, and the young man had grown to like him. While he was a little out there, he always made for a good conversationalist. Khadgar still read with abandon, accidentally ignoring a host of patrons until they impatiently cleared their throats.

Khadgar finally had made the eye appointment, and it had been worse than he thought. He did, in fact, need glasses, and badly. He and Anduin and Medivh had gone on a day that the library closed early to get the frames. 

They stepped into the store, a small one with frames and mirrors all over the place. The three men were rather cramped in there, and the attendant came to speak with them. She was short and petite, and Medivh immediately grinned at her. She seemed pleasantly surprised to see the two bulky men and the younger one, a solid layer of insulation over his firm muscles. 

“I was looking to get some glasses,” said Khadgar, fingering some of the frames on display. He turned around to look at her, but she was _staring_ at Anduin, who was watching Khadgar, and as the woman tucked her hair behind her ear nervously, Khadgar felt a swell of anger. He opened his mouth to say something a little more vile, but a frame clattered to the ground behind him.

Khadgar muttered a curse and an apology, and finally the young woman came to help him. He handed her his prescription that he had gotten from the doctor.

Khadgar righted himself and re-balanced, and then he looked at everyone else. “I brought these clowns to help me pick out a frame. I wasn’t sure what color I was going to use…” He looked at Anduin and his tongue darted out to draw his lip in. It was a nervous gesture, but Anduin made a pained face and stepped closer to Khadgar, reaching over him in the cramped space to pull off a brown frame that didn’t wrap around the entire lense, but was still rather sleek. 

He handed it to Khadgar and the frame made his face look more round that it already was. Anduin looked bemused, but removed them from Khadgar’s face and continued to look.

“You’ll want something a little more boxy for your face.” The saleswoman reached up and handed Khadgar a silver frame. He looked skeptical, but put them on. They did work better on him, but the color didn’t do much. He said so, and she nodded. Medivh handed him a mottled brown and black pair, and Khadgar carefully set them on his face.

Anduin hid his thorough approval by simply smiling. Khadgar looked better with glasses. He managed to look more astute. His eyes were even bigger, and his facial hair looked less scraggly. Anduin could stare forever.

“I like those,” he said. Khadgar peered into the mirror. He narrowed his eyes, and saw Medivh behind him, arms crossed and and shit-eating grin on his face. It forced a smile out of him, and they were right. He did look good in these. With a curt nod, he took them off and handed them to the young woman, saying that he’d going with them. 

“Good choice,” she said. She took them to the back room and began to work on cutting and fitting the lenses.

~~~

It took Anduin a few days to get used to Khadgar’s glasses. Admittedly, most of the time when he saw the librarian, he was reading and didn’t wear them. But when Anduin would appear at the desk, he’d gently slide the frames onto his face, looking at him behind those huge brown eyes made bigger by the glasses.

But it was July third that there was something about him that made Anduin’s chest hurt. Khadgar had a silly little USA button on his satchel and a red, white, and blue pinwheel hat on that had ‘Khadgar is the best library-an’ written on it in child’s handwriting. Khadgar looked up at Anduin as he walked in. He must have been getting better at paying attention to when people walked into the library.

In fact, Khadgar knew when Anduin, specifically, walked into the library. He knew his gait, he knew how his shoes shuffled and how his breathing sped up as he reached Khadgar, as if he were rushing to the desk. It was the same every day, and it wasn’t that Khadgar hadn’t memorized other people’s gaits. It was just that he only cared about Anduin’s.

Anduin chuckled at him softly before he had even said anything, but if Khadgar was about to remove his hat, Anduin had another think coming. Khadgar shoved the glasses onto his face and stood, tongue darting out to lick his lips. 

“Can I help you sir?” Khadgar was entirely serious, but when he saw Anduin trying desperately not to fall into a fit of cackles, he snapped and giggled. 

Anduin was going to lose his mind. He continued to laugh, but Khadgar’s giggle sent his heart into spasms. God, was he beautiful like that, dorky hat getting buried under his thick tresses, laugh lines creasing his face and crows feet starting to form around his eyes. It was as if the floodgates had opened, and the pure _need_ on Anduin’s face was something that Khadgar couldn’t miss. 

“We’re closing in half an hour. Come get dinner with me.” Again with the tongue flicking out to swipe across his bottom lip, and Anduin was sure he was going to go mad. He nodded, not trusting his voice to say anything that wouldn’t make him sound desperate, and headed back into the bowels of the library to find something to read for the week.

In half an hour, Khadgar was ready to go and Anduin came down the marble steps, two books in hand. Khadgar scanned them and handed them back, and their fingers brushed. Khadgar’s eyes shot up to Anduin’s and held him there. They simply stared at one another, content to memorize each other’s faces. A few days ago, Khadgar had realized what the tug in his chest and belly was when Anduin was around, like the sensors in that guarded the doors to the library, or a character who left home. His heart was tied to Anduin, and all the bells and whistles and prodigal sons went absolutely berserk when the Adonis was nearby.

“Chinese?” Khadgar broke the silence, his voice echoing through the room. He was honestly surprised that it didn’t crack. Anduin nodded and they left the building together. The night guard locked up, and then they headed down the street together. 

“I know this great--”

“Do you want to watch something at my place?” Anduin’s fingers twitched. He didn’t want to be pining for this kid, this _boy_ , but it was happening. Ever since they tackled each other to the ground, he was having issues breathing around him. And the sun was casting lovely shadows on Khadgar’s face but he wanted the closeness of watching a movie, of being together, or maybe Khadgar just reading more Game of Thrones to him. “I don’t know, it’s almost the Fourth, and we could watch _Independence Day_ or try to sneak into _Hamilton_ or something. I don’t know…”

“I’d love to. But I’m starving.” Khadgar nudged Anduin and grinned. Anduin ruffled his hair, and finally they reached their destination. The restuarant was small and groty, but it smelled authentic. Anduin eased up to the counter flashing a winning smile and waited for Khadgar to make up his mind on their dinner for the evening.

It took roughly twenty minutes for them to prepare the food for take-out, and another half hour for them to get back to Anduin’s place. He lived in a considerably nicer part of town, where the trees were surrounded in grass and had nice little LED lights that lit up at night. Their eyes sparkled in the light and it was pleasant, with the breeze that only smelled a little of refuse and the night bright in the streetlights and the headlights of the taxis and cars. 

Khadgar would have looked immaculate if it weren’t for the fact that he still had that dorky hat on. Anduin stopped in front of his apartment building. It was a red brick affair, well-pointed and a doorman. Khadgar’s eyes were huge as the man in the blue coat and shiny gold buttons and a funny little fez on his head smiled at him and gestured with a white-gloved hand. Khadgar took his hat off and stood a little straighter as the entered the marble-floored lobby that housed a small crystal chandelier. 

“Why did you tell me!” Once they were in the elevator, Khadgar smacked Anduin harder than the night guard expected was possible. “I would have at least taken my hat off on the subway if I knew they didn’t take riff-raff.”

“No. Don’t you ever say that.” Anduin’s voice was low and angry and it took Khadgar aback to hear him sound that angry. He opened his mouth to stutter an apology, but Anduin had snapped.

“You are far from riff-raff. You’re the opposite of it.” The elevator dinged and Anduin led the way down the hall. He was still fuming, holding tension in his shoulders as he wrestled with the lock, and Khadgar absently wondered how Anduin had made this much money as a night guard. It wasn’t upscale by any means, but there wasn’t any water damage on the ceiling and the doors didn’t need to be coaxed open. Of course, he was focused on the fact that Anduin was mad at him for something that he had said, and Khadgar didn’t know how to deal with it. It was a joke, really. He’d never actually use the term ‘riff-raff’ in a normal conversation, and he thought that he and Anduin had had enough conversations to establish that, but the pounding in Khadgar’s chest was telling him that something monumental was about to happen and he didn’t want to miss it. But at the same time, he didn’t want to be around for whatever nuking of their relationship was about to happen.

Once Anduin opened the door, he tugged Khadgar inside and slammed the door shut. Khadgar wasn’t sure if Anduin was about to lay into him verbally or physically, and so he stood stock still, ready to take whatever was about to happen. He set the Chinese food on the counter and backed away so that he was a safe distance from Anduin, who frankly was standing too close for Khadgar’s comfort. 

“You are the most patient and learned man I’ve ever met. And you know big of a nerd Medivh is, but he doesn’t...he doesn’t get the world. I mean, Christ,” Khadgar flinched, but Anduin didn’t notice. “You just sit there as if you have no idea of the effect you have on other people and I was going to _murder_ those shits who were going to do God-knows-what to you. Fuck, Khadgar, I’d never be able to live with myself.” He was screaming now. “Don’t you understand that? Damnit, bookworm, you drive me up the goddamn wall.”

Anduin was throwing plates down and pulling open drawers with abandon, apparently unable to find the silverware (or chopsticks, or cups, or whatever he was looking for. Khadgar didn’t know, and he didn’t dare offer help). 

“I’m sorry.” Khadgar’s voice was small, timid. He didn’t know what sort of response Anduin was looking for, so he chose the one that he thought was the most safe. He was wrong.

“Sorry?” Anduin’s voice burned like straight rum and Khadgar really didn’t want to be there right then. Anduin had invaded his personal space beyond repair, because Khadgar was pressed against the wall and Anduin had his hands braced right above the shorter man’s shoulders, face so close and eyes boring into his own, an icy blue that were tinged with red where he had been staying up too late and drinking too much coffee.

“You’re sorry that your smile brightens a room and I can hardly think straight around you?” His voice was dripping and Khadgar wished he was half as together as the characters in the stories that he read, but he wasn’t and he was scared. Lord, was he scared.

“Anduin.” Khadgar barely squeaked out the word before Anduin ducked his head in for a kiss, but Khadgar ducked, knocking his forehead against Anduin’s nose and sending him reeling. Khadgar spewed apologies while Anduin spewed curses and nursed a bloody nose. Khadgar backed his way further into the room but was forced to stop when his back hit the couch. The librarian didn’t like being cornered, but...well, shit. He never really thought about the actual possibility of liking a guy before. If it were up to him, he would have met Anduin half-way to that kiss, but it was more complicated than that. He knew that acting on gay impulses was wrong, according to his religion. He definitely liked Anduin, and perhaps found himself staring a little more ardently than was really enough to brush off as close friendship, but...he understood the theology and he understood why he shouldn’t pursue this. He understood that there was this constant battle going on with his soul and eternity was, well, eternity.

And he also knew that saying ‘oh, I’ll be sorry for it later’ was not the way to do this. And that anyone who hated him for it was worse off than he was. Twenty-some years of guilt backed him into the couch. But the innate urge to question authority for love of another (he even winced at the thought of it and how even that, according to what he studied intensely for a full year, wasn’t quite right), propelled him off the couch and to Anduin. His chest hurt, and he felt bad for headbutting him in the nose, and so Khadgar led Anduin over into the kitchen and started rooting around in cabinets. 

“I’m actually sorry for that,” said Khadgar with a smile that he was forcing himself to show. He finally found the first aid kit under the sink and had Anduin sit up on the counter. Khadgar wet a washcloth and began to pat gently at the busted skin on the bridge of Anduin’s nose.

“You have a hard head, there, kid.” Anduin took the ice pack that Khadgar had given him. His beautiful blue shirt that he had worn days before had been stained in crimson and Khadgar, without even thinking, started unbuttoning it.

“What, we’re skipping the kissing bit?” Anduin laughed at the blush creeping up on Khadgar’s face and ducked his head to catch the librarian’s eyes.

“It’s the Catholic thing, isn’t it?” A hint of a knowing smile played at Anduin’s lips and Khadgar’s face fell from an embarrassed smile to a guarded expression.

“It’s not like I don’t want to.” Khadgar busied himself with the task at hand. He eased the shirt off of Anduin’s shoulders and helped his arms out of it as Anduin continued to hold the ice pack to his nose. A little bit of blood dripped onto his chest and belly and Khadgar took the washcloth to it. Anduin hissed all of a sudden when Khadgar pressed the cloth to him and Khadgar looked up, afraid he had hurt his patient.

“‘S cold.”

Khadgar ran the cloth under warm water and opened his mouth to speak. “Listen…” He rung out the blood and set the washcloth on the hook of the sink. “I understand why it is the way it is, and it makes it really hard for me to choose against it.”

“But...even just now, from how you were _staring_ , Khadgar. You looked fucking _starved_.” Anduin took his free hand and raised Khadgar’s chin to meet his eyes. “Come on. At some point, the temptation is too strong.”

“This is my soul we’re talking about.” Khadgar’s tongue darted to lick his lips.

“Stop. Christ, Khadgar, just stop.” Anduin hopped down from the counter and dropped the ice pack into the sink. “If I’m not allowed to kiss you, you need to stop being so damn inviting with your mouth.”

“If you’re going to keep complaining, I’m going to have to find a new religion.”

“Then consider me a gnat.”

Khadgar drew his lips into a thin line. He began to divide out the Chinese while Anduin jogged back to his room to get a new shirt. This one was much softer, a black affair with some muppets on it. They sat on opposite sides of the couch when Anduin returned and clicked on the TV. He navigated until he found the classic science fiction film _Independence Day_ and settled in, shoving lo mein into his mouth.

Anduin shared a bunch of trivia throughout the movie, since both of them had seen it before. Khadgar pretended to pay attention, but he was lost in thought. But damn it, what was the true harm in delving into this for a bit? It was too early to figure out the end game, but Anduin was something special. He was fierce and honest and had untapped curiosity, and Khadgar loved being able to tell him stories and indulge in them with him. Anduin was protective and genuinely concerned for Khadgar and really, no one that Khadgar had had any interest in was qutie as wholesome as Anduin, as honest and hardworking and sincere. 

It wasn’t like this would really go anywhere, anyway, if Khadgar was honest.

And so with the most intense concentration in order to appear inconspicuous, Khadgar curled his legs underneath him and rested his head back on the couch. Jeff Goldblum explained impossible odds, and a well-timed explosion had Khadgar jumping forward, and if he let his eyes close just right, he could let his head loll and rest against Anduin’s shoulder. He let himself close his eyes, and somehow the exhaustion he felt from this emotional turmoil eased into him like a wave that skittered to shore, its cold grasp suddenly swarming up between his toes. He felt the chill all the way up his body, and soon his relaxation was sincere and his mouth hung open, drool pooling in his cheek.

Anduin sat there, sightless, until the credits rolled and the next on-demand option came on. The deadweight of Khadgar slumped against him, dark hair falling into his eyes and mouth hanging open, wet breathing creating a rhythm in the room had Anduin wanting to lean his head back, as well. He did his best not to move his shoulder too much as he reached for the remote and clicked the TV off. If this was as good as he was going to get right now, he’d take it. 

But when Anduin shook himself, remembering something in Sunday school ages ago about leading others into sin, he moved and sat at the opposite end of the couch where Khadgar had scooted from to rest on Anduin. He tried to move the sleeping librarian, but Khadgar woke up, eyes bleary and body clumsy as he moved with Anduin.

“Stretch out,” he muttered. Anduin did as he was told as Khadgar knelt on the floor, hair tousled and brown eyes heavy with want of sleep. Anduin’s body was long against the couch, and Khadgar climbed up, laying so that he was against Anduin’s chest, ear pressed to his heart. Eventually, the librarian’s breathing evened out. When Anduin reached to lace his fingers through Khadgar’s hand, the shorter man tightened his grip and snuggled closer until his fingers finally relaxed in sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fourth of July has the boys together, but not for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They kiss. They kiss a lot. You might puke from cuteness.

Since Khadgar was a child, he hadn't really liked fireworks. He loved the lights and the shining colors, but the sound startled him with every pop and boom. 

The harbor was clear and lovely and the Statue of Liberty was shining in green glory. There were a lot of people out, but Khadgar, Anduin, Medivh, and Llane had come hours early with Llane’s lawnchairs in order to reserve a half-decent spot. The good waterfront ones were camped out twenty-four hours in advance, and so they were a few people in and rather close to the speaker.

They had figured out how to dress patriotically. Khadgar had on his glasses (because he didn’t know the subway signs had so much detail), a blue polo, and khaki jeans. Anduin wore his blue dress shirt, and Khadgar was semi-convinced that it was the only nice shirt the man owned. Medivh wore a tight red shirt and even tighter white pants, and Llane was the most casual of the bunch, sporting a red and blue flannel and jeans.

A few preliminary fireworks shot into the sky, their brilliant colors causing gasps of pleasure from the watchers. For most of them, anyway. Khadgar jumped nearly out of his skin and gripped the grass below him, his nails digging into the earth and his knuckles turning white. Anduin, after the initial oohs and ahhs from the crowd, didn’t miss this. 

“You alright, bookworm?” Anduin scooted a little closer so that his arm was behind the shorter man. Khadgar bit his lip, tongue darting out to draw it back to the safety of his teeth. It reddened his lips, for sure, but the cherry popsicle he had consumed on the subway ride here didn’t help matters. Anduin tore his eyes away from Khadgar’s lips and found him staring, huge brown eyes terrified.

“I don’t...with all the stuff that’s been going on, I feel--” The young librarian trailed off, staring at his shoes and shuddering as another explosion shook his body the way many loud noises do. He forced himself to look upward to where a blaze of green fizzled out, and Anduin could see how pale the boy’s face was.

This was odd, thought Anduin. Khadgar wasn’t really the type to be quaking in his boots, yet here he was, eyes wide and bottom lip quivering. Khadgar would say he his stomach was in knots, his dinner a brick in his stomach, but he wasn’t about to ruin this for everyone. He could just sit here and be miserable and it would be just fine, thank you very much.

“Do you want to go home?” Anduin’s pale blue eyes made it seem like he had other ideas for what ‘going home’ meant, more than just curling up under the covers and eating some ice cream. The fireworks show started and a few children made delighted noises, and a few teenagers whooped. 

It was chaos, and while Khadgar was all for anarchy in theory, this was proving to be too much of a sensory overload. He stood up without a word, and Anduin also scrambled to his feet. Khadgar was off before Anduin could mutter something. The shorter man was walking much faster than Anduin had expected, and he jogged to catch up with him. But just as he was a few feet away, Khadgar stopped short. 

“Anduin.” 

The taller man stuttered to a halt. Khadgar whirled to look at him, eyes still wide with anxiety.

“I’m sorry. But look at the people. Look at everyone. Look how beautiful they are.” 

Anduin furrowed his brow, but did as he was told. He looked around, and all he noticed was that everyone stood stock still, all craning their necks, all looking in the same direction as explosion after explosion filled the sky.

The sensation of all of those people not caring about anything but the show and their vulnerability sparked something in Anduin that he couldn’t quite name. And the smell of hot dogs and various other food cart items being sold, the whirring of light-up kids’ toys, and the backlight from the city nearly caused him to miss Khadgar gently sliding his palm against Anduin’s.

But Khadgar’s palm was so warm in the pleasant evening. His thick fingers laced through Anduin’s and at the next explosion, Khadgar gave him a tug. They were on their way, Khadgar babbling on about something that had excited him at the library that week. Anduin’s mind couldn’t break from the contact that they shared, and he nearly wondered if Khadgar had forgotten that he had done it, until they reached the subway station and had thundered down the steps together.

He most certainly hadn’t forgotten.

“Thank you, Anduin. It comes and goes and it’s exhausting and I hate it,” he blabbed, words flying by and echoing in the little chamber. They were alone because everyone was staring at explosions in the sky, and Khadgar certainly hadn’t forgotten that, either.

And so with a conscience that was keen on pressing its luck, he squeezed Anduin’s hand. Anduin was forced to look into Khadgar’s eyes, and he saw the desire. He saw the ‘devil-may-care’ attitude, and he saw the way that the shorter man’s eyes flicked down to his lips. This wasn’t to say that Anduin expected it, but it was like something that you absently wanted to have happen really badly, like winning the lottery. It didn’t make sense to say that they stood like that, staring at one another as subway cars with the poor souls who had to work rattling by in a dingy station where the lights flickered and it reeked of urine.

And that’s not what they did. Khadgar and Anduin would argue to this day who pushed and who pulled, but soon Khadgar was pressed against a hard cinderblock wall with questionable hygiene. Anduin had both of his hands bracketing Khadgar’s head. The ended up there, but it wasn’t until a needy sound, nearly animalistic, as if it had been ripped from the depths of his desire, came from Khadgar. 

Anduin was lost after that. He ducked forward and brutally crushed his lips to Khadgar’s in an open-mouthed kiss. Khadgar gasped and couldn’t move for a moment, but finally his hands reached forward and gripped Anduin’s hips, fingers digging in almost to bruising. Anduin responded by shoving his hips forward and grinding his arousal against Khadgar’s belly, and it wasn’t as if Khadgar could stop himself from moaning at that. In the moment they took to break away for air, Khadgar shifted and pressed his response into Anduin’s thigh. 

They took it slow from there, aware of the cameras and the police that undoubtedly would descend once they went anything beyond what they were doing right now. Khadgar surged up, breaking away from Anduin to moan into the station. His eyes flew open momentarily, and he saw a mother shielding her child from the scene in front of them as Anduin busied himself on Khadgar’s neck, sucking and biting and swirling his tongue over the spots that would bruise.

“Anduin.” Khadgar’s thick fingers laced into Anduin’s hair and pulled him off his neck with a sloppy sucking sound.

“Can’t I devour you in peace?”

“In peace, yes.”

Anduin smiled at that and grabbed Khadgar’s hand. It was a short walk to the card scanners and soon, hand in hand, Khadgar and Anduin were headed home, wherever they determined it to be, to continue their ministrations.

~~~

The next morning, when the fireworks had died down and the city was reveling in a brilliant day, Khadgar stirred awake, naked and warm against Anduin. The taller man’s arms were wrapped around his librarian, and the soreness in Khadgar’s bottom made him content to lay there sleepily, staring out the window at the pigeons who cooed insistently that their friend give them their breakfast. Garona prowled in front of them and then turned to meow at her master.

Khadgar started to move, but Anduin’s arm tightened around his belly and Khadgar froze. The taller man nuzzled closer, burying his face in Khadgar’s neck and pressing warm lips to his skin.

“Good morning, dear.” Anduin’s voice was muffled against Khadgar’s shoulder, but the bookwork scooted back closer into his lover’s embrace. The pigeons could wait and nothing was stopping Garona from coming over to curl up with them.

They lay like that until the sun was too high in the sky to ignore. When that time came, Khadgar got up much to Anduin’s displeasure and padded his naked body over to fetch his underwear off the floor and pull it on, turning to face Anduin, his pale skin brilliant in the sunlight, and the marks on his skin, some fresher than others. A host of colors adorned his skin, from the dark hairs on his chest and belly to the brilliant pink of his nipples to the green crescent marks that Anduin had made with his teeth and the red splotches on his neck that had been sucked there an hour or so before.

“You’re beautiful,” marveled Anduin. His mind was still hazy with sleep. As Khadgar stood over him, the shorter man had to smile. Anduin was mussed and sleepy looking, and undoubtedly they would be back in bed together soon, but now Khadgar was hungry and the want for food superseded the want for sex, so he strut into the kitchen, a playful smile on his face.

~~~

When Anduin had his way with the little tease well into the afternoon and evening, Khadgar once again was snuggled up to him, red, swollen mouth hanging open and body limp from exhaustion and sleep. Anduin placed a kiss to the younger man’s forehead and tucked him under his chin. Yes, his little librarian would sleep, and wake the next morning for work, and Anduin hoped that as time wore on, the wanting eyes and eager hands never ceased wanting him.

~~~

Khadgar, in all his life, never wanted anyone as much as he wanted Anduin. Not just the pure physique of the man, but also his gentleness, protectiveness, and how he could utterly undo Khadgar with a simple kiss. 

Anduin would be happy to learn that, in fact, Khadgar never did stop wanting him. Not until the end of his days when they were both old and frail and really oughtn’t be doing the activities they were doing.

But who were Khadgar and Anduin to comply?


End file.
